Hay-shredder.



J. BERCHA.

HAY SHREDDER. APPLI CATION men nc.4. 1912.

1 ,1 87,242. I Patented June 13, 1916.

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J. BERCHA.

. pm SHREDDER. I APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4. 1912.

1,187,242. Patented June 13, 1916.

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Ql'OSEPI-I BER CHA, or BEATRiCE, NEBRASKA.

HAY-s BEpDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pggtgj ted June 13, 1916,

Application filed December 4, 1912. Serial No. 734,920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BERQHA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beatrice, in the county of Gage-and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hay-Shredders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for shredding fibrous material, such as hay, fodder and the like used as feed for stock, the purpose being the provision of a machine of this character which will insure the material being reduced to a fine state to be mixed with meal, grain or other feed for stock.

The invention provides a machine having a cutting mechanism of peculiar formation which will prevent any long material pass-' ing thereby, whether such material enters lengthwise or at an angle.

The invention further contemplates a novel form of shredding mechanism which still further reduces the material after the,

'companying drawing, and pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawing, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a shredding machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the machine. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line a-m of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a portion of the shredding cylinder.

Corresponding. and like parts are referre to in the following description, and indicated in all the views of the drawing; by the same reference characters.

The machine embodies a casing which is mounted upon legsl, said casing consisting of an upper section 2 and a lower section 3. The sections 2 and 3 of the casing are contracted at their meeting portions, as indicated at 4. An opening 5 is formed in the upper portion of the front of the section 2 and admits of the material to be shredded being fed into the machine from a table 6, which is in line with the lower portion of the feed opening 5. Plates 7 are located about in the plane of the table 6 and their inner edges are spaced apart and are formed with curved slots 8 forming fingers 9, which constitute fixed cutters. A rotary cutter is located inline with the space formed between the inner edges of the plates 7 and consists of a. shaft 10, a drum 11, and cutters 12, the latter being positioned to register with the slots or spaces 8 formed between the fixed cutters 9; The cutters 12 curve in their length to correspond with the curvature of the. slots or spaces 8, thereby preventing any material passing lengthwise through the slots 8 -without being cut. Power is applied to the'shaft lOfor rotating the same and imparting movement to the rotary cutter. The frontfcutter' plate 7 forms in effect a continuation of the feed I the shaft 13 and having their convex faces corrugated. as indicated at 15, so as to engage with the material and positively advance the same to the shredding mechanism.

The shredding mechanism is located in the lower sections 3 of the casing and com-- prises a cylinder and a drum, the latter embodying a shaft 16, a hub 17, arms 18 and cutter bars 19 secured to the outer ends of the arms 18. Rotary movement is imparted to the drum, whereas the cylinder is stationary. The shredding cylinder is of metal and is secured to the ends of the section 3 and comprises an upper part 20 and a lower part 21. The upper part 20 of the shredding cylinder is of semi-circular form and has a feed opening at its top from which projects a flange 22, which directs the material from the contracted opening 4: into the feed opening at the upper end or side of the shredding cylinder. The lower part 21 is formed of similar sections and has a plurality of openings for the discharge of the material. The upper part 20 is imperforate except for the feed opening. Cutter bars 2 3are located upon the inner side of the upper part .20 and each of such cutter bars has itsend portions oppositely inclined from the middle point. The cutter bars 23 are stationary and act jointly with the cutter bars 19 to shred or comminute the mafodder or the like, is placed upon the table 6 and moved forward through the feed opening 5 and is caught by the rotary cutter and severed into small lengths, which drop into the lower portion of the section 2 of the casing and are fed therefrom by means of the force feed into the cylinder of the shreddingmechanism, in which it is shredded or further comminuted by means of the shredding mechanism, the material finally escaping from the shredding cylinder through the openings formed in the lower portion thereof and entering the spout 24 is delivered by means of the elevator to the predetermined point of discharge.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:

In a device of the kind described in combination, a casing, a shaft mounted concentrically of said casing, a hub mounted upon said shaft intermediate its ends, radial arms secured upon said hub at opposite ends and curved outwardly and forwardly thereof,

elongated cutters secured in axial alinement r with said hub upon said arms, and a plurality of upwardly converging cutters having their opposite ends secured upon the walls of said casing and adapted to extend for impingement with the hub cutters, said casing being open at its upper end and having its opening of a diameter less than the length of said rotating cutters.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BERGHA. Witnesses J. T. HARDEN, LORAN J. Hones.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

